How can You Balance Your Career and Fertility?

Work-life balance was once defined by the number of hours spent in the office vs the number of hours spent at home. Today, this is no longer the case. With more and more work being done online, many people take their work home with them. When they’re not physically at work, people use their mobile phones and email to stay connected. This takes a toll on your physical health. That’s not all, it can also affect fertility.

How Does a Career Affect Fertility?

For women, focusing on a career means postponing a family. Today women are getting married and having children much later as compared to their parent’s generation. Focusing on a career is not a bad thing but it does affect a woman’s chances of infertility. There are many reasons for this.

There are very few jobs that are stress-free. When not managed properly stress can affect sleep patterns, food habits and increase dependency on caffeine, alcohol and other such vices. These can, in turn, reduce fertility. High-stress levels also cause hormonal changes. Overworked women tend to have lower than normal estrogen levels and higher androgen levels. This can disrupt the ovulation cycle and cause a delay in pregnancy.

Deciding to have children later may be good for a career but can make pregnancy harder. As a woman grows older, the number and quality of viable eggs reduce. A woman’s risk of infertility increases every year after her 35th birthday. In many cases, women planning a pregnancy in their late 30s and early 40s required fertility treatments.

4 Easy Ways Balance a Career and Fertility

Balancing work and pregnancy may not be easy but it can be done. Below are a few useful tips:

1.Plan ahead– Yes, planning ahead is the key. Just as you don’t assume that you will be successful in your career easily, do not assume that getting pregnant is easier either. Visit a gynaecologist regularly. If you plan on having children in your 40s consider freezing your eggs. These can be used later for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment.

2.Talk to a friend - Talk to at least one person about your family planning. Women trying to balance careers and pregnancy treatment can be easily overwhelmed. While they do not want to look incapable of completing their tasks, treatment also takes a toll on their physical health. Hence, find a person in the office who you can talk to. If possible, share the situation with your team so that they can have your back. Remember, there’s nothing wrong about undergoing fertility treatment and talking about it shouldn’t be taboo.

3.Commit to only what you can handle - It is not necessary for you to quit your job completely but don’t commit to more than you can handle. For women undergoing fertility treatment, work is often a welcome distraction as tasks and projects are things that can be controlled. Look for projects that give you a chance to learn something new.

4.Find ways to deal with stress - Starting the day with yoga or meditation has helped many women. Also, try and fit in at least half an hour of exercise into your daily schedule. This will keep you fit, help you maintain a healthy BMI and keep hormone levels in check. The better your overall health, the lower your risk of infertility will be.